Air moistener and attem perator



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(Application led Aug. 27, 1897.) (N o4 M o d e l THE MORRIS PETERS co A PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, l)y C No. 6l8,6|5. Patented lan. 3|,l |899. W.H. PRINZ.

MR M ISTENER AND ATTMP'ERATUR.

(Application filed Aug. 27, 1897-.)

` 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

` TH: Nonms PETERS co PHoTo-L|Yno.. WASHING-rou, o. c,

room of the malt-house.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM II. PRINZ, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SALADIN PNEU- MATIC MALTING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR MOISTENER AND ATTEMPERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,615, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed August`27, 1897. Serial No. 649,710. (No model.)

nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Air Moisteners and Attemperators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a novel construction in an apparatus for moistening and attemperating air, the obj ect being to provide a device of this character by means of which the air can be moistened to any desired degree and the temperature thereof be controlled; and it consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of an apparatus for moistening and attemperating air constructed in accordance with my invention, taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a spray-nozzle which I employ in connection with the apparatus, in which two streams of water are directed against each other to produce a fine spray. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of another form of nozzle employed in connection with this apparatus, inwhich a jet of air is directed against a water-jet to produce a line spray.

Referring now to said drawings, A indicates the air moistening and attemperating chamber of amalt-house, having an air-inlet passage B, controlled by valves D and containing attemperating-pipes in its passages, and an air-outlet C, leading to the germinating- Situated within said moistening and attemperating chamber and extending transversely across the same at regular intervals are a plurality of parallel vertical screens 1, of perforated metal or the like, in front of each of which, except several through which air passes last, water-pipes 2 extend, which are connected by means of the main 3 with the low-pressure pump 4. Mounted upon each of said pipes 2, at regular intervals and upright thereon, are branch pipes carrying spray-nozzles 6 at their upper ends, which Will be hereinafter more fully described. The said spray-nozzles serve to keep said screens constantly wet and to present the Water to the air-current in a finelydivided state, so that it is easily evaporated, thus thoroughly moistening the air. I have found in practice that a considerable quantity of air passes through said screens Without being thoroughly moistened, owing to the fact that it is very difficult to keep all portions of the screens equally moist, and, further, for the reason that the spray is unequal in various parts of the apparatus. The air obviously seeks to pass through such portions of the apparatus at which the least resistance is offered, and these portions are obviously those which are not reached by the spray. To thoroughly saturate the air, therefore, without increasing the size of the apparatus, I provide further means of producing a finelydivided spray in front of the two last screens through which the air passes, comprising a Water-pipe 7 and an air-pipe 8, situated adjacent each other and connected by nozzles 9, common to both said pipes 7 and 8, having outlets l0' and 11 extending approximately at right angles to each other and so that the jet from one outlet will impinge against the jet from the other outlet. The pipes '7 are connected by means of a pipe l2 with a Water-tank, which I have not shown and from which the water iiows by gravity, and the pipes 8 with a positive blower 13, delivering the air under greater pressure than the Water, so that the air-jets impinging against the Water-jets will deflect the latter upwardly in a very finely divided spray, creating a fog which is easily evaporated and which serves to thoroughly saturate the already partially moistened air.

It is well known that bypassing air through water the water absorbs a small percentage of the air, and of the absorbed portion the proportion of oxygen is greater than the proportion of nitrogen. In this manner the air is partially deoxidized.

To produce the best results in malting, the air should be as rich as possible in oxygen, and therefore I provide means for adding a supply of fresh air to the partially-deoxidized IOO air, thus increasing or partially restoring the amount of oxygen therein. The air and water nozzles constitute these means, inasmuch as the air introduced therethrough so finely pulverizes or divides the water as to create a vapor which is completely absorbed by the fresh air introduced and by the partially-moistened air. As this water is completely absorbed or evaporated by the air it obviously cannot serve to deoxidize the air, and thus the air which is introduced through the nozzles retains its oxygen and in mixing with the partially-deoxidized air restores the total proportion of oxygen to near normal. The outlet-passages 10 and 11 of said nozzles are internally/tapered to enable any impurities which may clog the same to be easily removed. Said nozzles 6 are each provided with two passages 14,eXtending at an angle of about thirty degrees to each other, which converge at one end into a passage 15, into which the water is fed. At their other ends said passages 14 extend partially toward each other, and the outlets therefrom are produced by means of drilling a hole 16 transversely through the end of said nozzle and connecting with said passages 14. The. said hole 16 is closed at its outer ends by means of screwplugs 17. An outlet for the water'is formed by sawing said nozzle through at its outer end and transversely across the passage 16 to form a narrow passage 18, in which the two streams of water from said passages 14 impinge di.-`

rectly against each other and are deflected in a fan-like spray at an angle of about ninety degrees to the passage 16. Said passages 14 are tapered from their rear to their forward ends, so that any impurities which may find their way into the same will be caused to drop out upon tapping said nozzles lightly.

To still further insure saturation of the air, I have provided a high-pressure pump 19, which is connected by means of pipe 2O with the pipes 21, situated in front of the last two screens and which carry nozzles 6. It will be obvious that when two streams of water impinge directly against each other they will defiect radially and will be more or less finely divided according to the pressure, the division becoming finer with increased pressure. Thus in the first four chambers or divisions of the moistener I utilize low pressure in orl der to obtain a large volume of water not finely divided, but which is more efficient in keeping the screens wet, while in the last two chambers I utilize high pressure, which produces a very finely divided spray. In this mannerI am enabled to produce a thoroughlysaturated and only very slightly deoxidized air, which is very advantageous and produces better results in malting than was heretofore possible.

The floor of the chamber A between said screens 1 is provided with depressions or troughs 21, into which the water not absorbed by the air is adapted to iow. The said troughs 2l are drained by means of the pipes 22, leading to a tank 23 in the pu mp-chamber 24, and from which said pumps 4 and 19 are supplied. In this manner the water is repeatedly subjected to the action of the air, thereby reducing the deoxidation of the air to a minimum. The air-pipes 8 are closed at one end and at their other ends are connected with a pipe 25, which in turn is connected with the blower 13, while the water-pipes 7 are connected at one end with the pipe 12, which, as before stated, is connected with a watertank. (Notshown inthe drawings.) Attheir other ends said pipes 7 are connected with pipes 26, which in turn are connected with a pipe 27. Said pipe 27 is connected with the low-pressure pipes 2, and thereby with the main 3, and at its other end said pipe 27 is connected with the pipe 28, leading from the heating-coils in the attemperator B andadapted to drain the latter. Valves 29 in said pipes 26 control the connection between said pipes 7 and said pipe 27, while the valves 30 and 31 in the latter serve as means for connecting said pipes 7 with either the low-pressure pipes 2 or the exhaust-steam pipe 28, the valve 32 in pipe 12 being closed when it is desired to make either of the connections referred to. The tank 25 is divided into two parts by means of a partition 84, and each of said divisions is again divided by means of a perforated screen 35. Said waste-pipes 22 enter said tank on opposite sides of the partitions 34 and on the side of the screen 35 opposite to that on which the suction-pipes of the pumps enter, so that the waste water can be freed of the heavier impurities before being again introduced into the circulation. Said screens 1 are divided into two sets, between which is a passage 36, which is utilized as an air-passage when it is desired to introduce dry air to the germinating-room by opening the doors at both ends of said passage. At one side of said chamber A is a passage 37, connected with said chamber A bya plurality of' doors 38, through which the operator can reach any part of said chamber A.

I claim as my invention- 1. A device of the kind specified, comprising a plurality of consecutively arranged chambers divided by perforated screens, means for causing air to pass through said chambers continuously in one direction, spray-nozzles in front of said screens adapted to keep the latter wet, and nozzles below said spray-nozzles connected with a source of supply of water under pressure and with a source of supply of air under higher pressure than said water, said air being adapted to atomize said water to permit its ready absorption by the 4air passing through said apparatus will be saturated with moisture, substantially as described.

2. A device of the kind specified, comprising a plurality of consecutively arranged chambers divided by perforated screens, means for causing air to pass through said chambers continuously in one direction,

ICO

nozzles in front of the forward of said screens connected with a source of supply of Water under low pressure and adapted to keep said screens Wet, nozzles in front of the rearward screens connected with a source of supply of high pressure adapted to finely divide the water and keep said rear screens Wet, and nozzles below said last-nain ed nozzles connected with a source of supply of Water under low pressure 1ro and with a source of supply of air under higher pressure than said Water, said ai rbeing adaptv ed to atomize lsaid water to permit its ready absorption by the yair, 'whereby the air passing through said apparatus Will be saturated with moisture, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

VILLIAM II. PRINZ.

Vitnesses:

RUDOLPH WM. LoTz, WM. B. SNoWHooK. 

